Auburn to Host On-Campus SEC Student Pitch Competition

October 3, 2019

By: SEC Staff
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

Auburn University will host the upcoming SEC Student Pitch Competition October 6-7 in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, with events taking place in the newest facility, Horton-Hardgrave Hall, which opened this fall. The pitch competition is being coordinated by Dr. LaKami Baker, Interim Executive Director of the Government and Economic Development Institute, University Outreach at Auburn.

In its fourth year, the SEC Student Pitch Competition provides teams of SEC students at the undergraduate or graduate level a platform to showcase their ideas for ground-breaking products and services to a panel of judges – including SEC alumni – who work primarily in the business sector. The competition offers what many consider to be an invaluable experience to bourgeoning entrepreneurs.

“There are hundreds of business plan competitions at universities around the globe, just as there are hundreds of athletic events each week. What sets the SEC Student Pitch Competition apart is its convergence of athletic and academic competition, against the backdrop of entrepreneurship and innovative, real-world problem solving,” said Blake Petty, Director of the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University.

After an initial round of student presentations, judges will select three finalist teams to deliver a secondary pitch to a separate panel, and awards are given for first, second and third place. New this year will be an elevator pitch challenge, during which teams have one minute to sell their idea to internal voters. Along with the student teams, leaders of each SEC entrepreneurship or innovation center will also be on hand to support the competition and to exchange best practices.

Examples of past innovations presented during the SEC competition include a platform of products that improve minimally invasive surgeries (University of Arkansas), user-hosted storage rentals (University of Missouri) and liquid activated light infusers for drinks (Mississippi State University).

The SEC Student Pitch Competition was first held in conjunction with the SEC Symposium in 2016 and Texas A&M University took home first place. Other winners are the University of Arkansas in 2017 and the University of South Carolina in 2018.

Team	University	Company & Description
Sani Ghulamani Adam Graff Elizabeth Holley Clay Nunley	University of Alabama	SEACR is a wireless noise-canceling earbud that uses the Adaptive Noise Reduction patent by NASA.
Igliana Castillo Keturah Finch Melissa Frackelman	University of Arkansas	TeraDiagnostics provides fast, accurate cancer margin detection during lumpectomy surgeries.
Sarah Gascon Dawn Michaelson	Auburn University	ESCAPE Therapy™ apparel provides individuals suffering from musculoskeletal injuries a wearable medical device.
Dominic Aluise Elezar Tonev	University of Florida	Sourse is a combined Solar Energy/Stirling Engine Renewable Energy Application.
Srikar Komanduri	University of Georgia	Ryze is a Smart Crypto Investment Manager that automates Bitcoin investing for users.
Brian Carlson Megan Reinhart	University of Kentucky	Lucra Machina is a platform for investors interested cryptocurrency.
Kayne Lynn	LSU	Revibe is an all-in-one music platform that restructures streaming and gives aspiring artists new tools.
Jake Harrison Tyler Moore	University of Mississippi	GluteMove is a fitness company that makes people look and feel good about themselves – with a reinvented squat and lunge.
Shelby Baldwin Brandon Johns Calvin Waddy	Mississippi State University	Buzzbassador automates tasks like recruiting and management of online-retail influencer and brand ambassador programs.
Libby Martin	University of Missouri	Calving Technologies, LLC. provides monitoring and predictive sensory technology to track the health of livestock.
Franklin McGuire	University of South Carolina	CivvieSupply makes premium patriotic apparel with designs inspired by "old-school" military gear.
Erica Grant	University of Tennessee	Quantum Lock, LLC. is a smart lock designed to revolutionize safety and reduce liability for facilities like hotels and apartments.
Ahad Azimuddin	Texas A&M University	LCLIP is a disposable laryngoscope clip that reduces the risk of patient dental trauma.